Over 90 students representing seven Oklahoma tribes attended the 2025 Native American Youth Leadership Day at NOC Tonkawa on July 16. (photo by Shiloh Martin/NOC).
Nearly 100 attend NOC Native American Youth Leadership Day
Nearly 100 Native American youth attended the Native American Youth Leadership Day July 16, at the Northern Oklahoma College campus in Tonkawa.
The one-day event brought Native American students from the Tonkawa, Ponca, Pawnee, Osage, Otoe-Missouria, Kaw and Iowa tribes together for a day of fun and learning. The event was emceed by Jay Mule
Leadership Awards were presented to Laney Lefthand, Tonkawa Tribe; Azaira Reed, Iowa Tribe; Hannah Koomsa, Ponca Tribe; Mariah Marks, Pawnee Nation; Jacee Elaine Lookout, Osage Nation; and Ben Jackson, Kaw Nation.
Students broke out into a number of sessions including financial literacy, Indian dice workshop, The Art of the Handshake, College and Tech Centers, and a Vision Board. Students also learned cultural activities including the Handgame and Fun Games.
During the day, students toured the NOC Tonkawa campus and took photos at the Cultural Engagement Center with NOC President Diana Watkins and Dr. High Pickens.
Pickens has a number of art pieces exhibited in the Pickens Learning Commons in the Vineyard Library/Administration Building at NOC Tonkawa.
The group was welcomed by NOC President Diana Morris Watkins. She welcomed the students to the Tonkawa campus explaining the opportunities for Native American students at NOC citing the school’s Cultural Engagement Center (CEC).
Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s first public two-year community college, is a multi-campus, land-grant institution that provides high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services.
NOC serves nearly 3,100 students through the home campus in Tonkawa, branch in Enid, and NOC/OSU Gateway Program in Stillwater. Of these students about 80% receive financial aid and/or scholarships. 75% of NOC students complete their degree with zero debt.
The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers associate degrees in three general areas: Arts, Science and Applied Science; the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; and the Accreditation Commission for Education and Nursing.
For more information about Northern Oklahoma College please call (580) 628-6208 or visit the NOC website at www.noc.edu.
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